Corn-harvester



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

s c. SGHOFIELD CORN HARVESTER.

No. 562,979. Patented June 30, 1896.

'umunuuummnn-L,zfllmll ANUREW B GRAHAM, FHUTD-LTTHQWASHING'RJKD C UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

SILAS CISOHOFIELD, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 562,979, dated June 30,1896. I

Application filed January 10, 1896. Serial No. 574,979. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SILAs O. SCHOFIELD, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in corn-harvesters; and to such endit consists in constructing a device which shall contain means forcutting down corn, transporting it, and to other details of constructionwhich will be fully described below, and clearly pointed out in theappended claims.

The invention is fully illustrated in the drawings furnished herewith,in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a complete corn-harvester.Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the tongue removed. Fig. 3 is a planview. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of aportion of the harvester upon alarger scale. Fig. 5 is a cross-section in line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 isa detail section in line 6 6 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 is a detail sectionin line 7 7 of Fig. 5.

In the drawings,A is a rectangular box forming the body portion of thedevice and supported by wheels B B B B. The wheels B are preferablycaster-wheels and their shanks are pivoted in blocks I), supportedbetween two strap-irons B secured to the box in any suitable manner. Arod 1) connects the two blocks 1), and upon this rod is pivoted thetongue 6 I have found that by constructing the front wheels in thismanner it does away with the usual fifth-wheel and also allows themachine to turn around in less space. Upon the forward'end of the box issecured a seat B for the driver.

The mechanism for cutting down the corn is here shown in its simplestform, it being a knife 0, secured to a platform 0. The platform isprovided with a beveled edge upon which the knife is secured and theother edges are preferably bent upward, as seen at c 0 to make strongersupport. The platform is supported by two rods D D, (see Figs. 1, 4, and5,) the rod D being fastened to the platform in any desired manner andextending upward, where it is journaled in brackets d, and upon itsupper end provided with a head restin g upon the upper bracket.

A piece of strapiron d is bent around the rod, as seen in Fig. 1,twisted into a plane at right angles to itself, and riveted to thebottom of the platform, thus forming, together with the rod D, a verysubstantial support and brace for the platform at this end. The rod D isbolted or otherwise secured to the side of the box A, and provided uponits lower end with ahead (1 upon which the platform rests, the samebeing provided with a notch of, (see Fig. 7,) which engages with the pinand forms the means of supporting the platform at this end. The upperend of the rod D is provided with a pin (1 (see Figs. 4: and 5,) and apiece of strap-iron d ,is hooked upon the pin (1 twisted in a plane atright angles to itself, and brought down to the forward end of theplatfor1n,where it is pivoted to the same, as seen at d. The bolts D D,and strap-irons d d form a very secure and substantial support for theplatform and hold it in the desired position for cutting the corn as themachine passes along.

Upon the under side of the box is a shield E, secured to two beams e e,which are fastened to the box. The forward end of the shield is bentupward and forward, as seen in Fig. 4:, and riveted to the bottom of thebox.

This allows the stubble to strike the curved portion and be turneddownward thereby as the machine passes along.

The shield E is intended to support the platform when not in use. WVhenit is desired to swing the platform out of the way, when driving home orwhen not cutting corn, the same may be done by unhooking the strapiron dallowing the same to fall upon the platform, disengaging the notch fromthe rod D, and swinging the entire platform underneath the box until thesame is completely out of the way.

Upon the box and approximately midway between the ends of the platformis secured a support E, adapted to support the person tending thecutting mechanism. Here shown it consists of a rod 6 provided upon itsupper end with a portion 6 against which the person rests, and thebottom of the rod is slotted and engages with a pin a". A bracket e issecured to the bottom of the box and in it rests the extreme lower endof the rod e for the same. The support can be removed by simply raisingthe same until the slot is disengaged from the pin, when it can be drawnaway from the same. It is obvious that it is not necessary that thesupport be of the kind shown and described, as I have used an ordinaryseat with as good results.

Upon the box is supported a frame F, upon which the cornstalks are laidafter they are cut. The frame is constructed of abeam F, suitablybraced, and end pieces F F which extend across the ends of the box andare pivoted to brackets ff, which are secured to the box. Upon thebrackets f f are also pivoted uprights 13 F and upon the beam F aresecured two uprights F F which form the end posts for retaining the loadupon the frame. The uprights F are preferably connected to the endpieces F by suitable braces f, and the beam F is provided upon its endswith handles f by which it may be grasped to tilt the frame in removingthe load.

The exact size and shape of the frame of the machine is evidentlyimmaterial to my invention, but the one shown is a convenient size andform to receive the severed corn and afterward to properly discharge thesame. The tilting frame F is of a suflicient length to accommodate alarge amount of corn and not only for a small amount, such as a shock,but the purpose is to gather enough corn to make a wagon-load and removeit to a convenient place. As seen in the drawings, the frame F ispivoted on the side adjacent to the cutting-blade, and this is veryessential in the present invention, and the width of this frame togetherwith its distance from the ground is such that when it is tilted into avertical plane the butts of the stalks will almost reach the ground, andthe further tilting of the frame will swing them against a suitablesupport provided therefor The operation of the machine and mode ofharvesting corn by this device is as follows: The machine is drivenalong upon the righthand side of the corn, the knife cutting the same asthe machine passes along. Upon the platform is an operator, who seizesthe corn as it is cut and hands it to a second person standing in thebox, who piles it upon the frame F, beginning with the rear end of thesame. The attendant upon the platform, in handing a bundle of severedcornstalks to the second person, evidently presents the corn to thesecond person with the tops upward, .and the second person, in placingthe bundle upon the tilting frame transversely thereof, naturally placesthe butts on the side adjacent to the cutting-blade, it being the mostconvenient way of handling the corn. When enough corn has been cut andloadedupon the frame that the pile extends almost to the forward end ofthe machine, so that the person loading the same has no more room towork in, he makes an extra-large pile direct in front of him, so thatupon leaving the box the extra amount will fall into the space occupiedf by him, and thus practically make a Very nice and even load. Thesupport E is then removed, the platform swung underneath the box, andthe machine driven to the corn-yard, which is provided with verticalstays, as, for instance, wire fences and the like. The machine is drivenalongside one of thesesupports, the frame F tilted upward until the sameis in an approximately vertical plane, when the butts of the stalks willreach the ground. The further movement of this frame will swing thestalks against the supports, where they are allowed to stand for furtheruse.

Having now described and explained my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a corn-harvester the combination with a wheeled frame, of anapproximately horizontal cutting blade projecting obliquely from oneside of the frame and adapted to cut stalks of corn, and a second frameresting upon the first and hinged thereto at the side from which saidcutting-blade projects, said second frame being .adapted to receive thesevered stalks of corn and to be tilted to discharge the same, buttsdownward on the side on which the cutting-bladeprojects.

2. In a corn-harvester the combination with a wheeled frame, of anapproximately horizontal cutting-blade projecting obliquely from oneside of the frame and adapted to cut stalks of corn, said cutting-bladebeing pivoted to the framework and adapted to be swung underneath thesame when not in use, and a second frame resting upon the first andhinged thereto at the side from which the outting-blade projects, saidsecond frame being adapted to receive the severed stalks of corn and tobe tilted to discharge the same, butts downward on the side on which thecuttingblade projects.

3. In a corn-harvester the combination with a wheeled frame, of anapproximately horizontal cutting-blade projecting obliquely from oneside of the frame and adapted to cut stalks of corn, said cutting-bladebeing pivotally secured to the framework and adapted to be swungunderneath the same, a suitably-supported shield underneath said framework adapted to support-the cutting-blade when in one position andcurved upward at its forward end, and a second frame resting upon thefirst and hinged thereto at the side from which the cutting-bladeprojects, said second frame being adapted to receive the severed stalksof corn and to be tilted to discharge the same, butts downward on theside on which the cutting-blade projects.

4. In a corn-harvester the combination with a wheeled frame, of anapproximately horizontal cutting-blade pivotally secured thereto andprojecting obliquely from one side of the frame and adapted to cutstalks of corn but also adapted to be swung underneath said frame, and asecond frame comprising substantially the longitudinal member, F, thetransverse members, F connected with said longitudinal member and hingedto the first-named frame on the side from which the cutting-bladeprojects, the uprights, F F extending from said second-named frame, saidsecond frame being adapted to receive the severed stalks of corn and tobe tilted to discharge the same, butts downward on the side on which thecutting-blade projects.

5. The combination with a wheeled frame, provided with a suitableswinging frame pivoted thereto, of a platform located upon the side ofthe frame, a rod secured thereto and journaled in suitable brackets uponthe frame, a brace connecting the upper end of said rod with theplatform, a second rod se- SILAS O. SOHOFIELD. lVitnesses:

CHAS. O. SHERVEY, M. L. SHEAHAN.

